Groundhog Day as Linlithgow Rose again get set for Maryhill tie

Ian MacLean

Linlithgow Rose boss Todd Lumsden admitted he feels like he’s in “Groundhog Day” as his side once again prepare to face Maryhill.

It’s the fourth week in a row that the Rose dquad have had to prepare for their Scottish Junior Cup last 16 tie with the Glasgow side.

But following last week’s third successive call-off the game hasd been switch from Maryhill’s Lochburn Park to St Anthony’s McKenna Park.

Lumsden said: “I played there a couple of years ago and it’s a good pitch so hopefully it won’t fall foul of the weather and we can get the game on.

“It seems like Groundhog Day but we’re trying to keep the players focussed, try to keep preparing in training.

“We’ve been preparing along the same lines again this week but trying not to overburden them with information and keep everybody fresh and make sure we go in well prepared, knowing what’s at stake.”

With 14 league games still left to play, and Rose still in three cup competitions, a fixture pile-up seems inevitable. But Lumsden is philisophical about the demands which will be placed on his squad between now and the end of the season.

He said: “Win on Saturday and we’ll have another cup game to play, but we’d rather be in the cup than out of it and playing league games because we want to get as far as we can.

“We spoke to the players about how we are going to train over the next four or five weeks just to make sure we’re in the best condition we can be in going into the fixture pile-up.

“It’s something we just have to deal with and the players are fine with that. But there will be strains and niggles and we need everybody pulling in the same direction.”

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